July 31, 2019
The desire to provide your pet with high-quality food containing everything necessary for a long and healthy life is familiar to any responsible owner. But what to do if your beloved cat persistently continues to crunch on his “crackers”, flatly rejecting all other foods and treats? Is it harmful to feed a cat only dry food? Let's figure it out.
Despite the fact that dry pet food has long conquered the pet market, many cat owners are still skeptical about these products. It is especially difficult for people of the “old school” to believe that these small granules can contain all the vitamins, minerals and other biologically significant elements that an animal needs. In addition, such food seems too monotonous.
Misunderstanding of the concept of dry food leads to the birth of numerous myths and incorrect use of commercial diets. In particular, many owners believe that a dry diet must be supplemented with something, otherwise the cat may not receive enough nutrients.
The main thing is the composition of the feed
Complete dry food already contains all the macro- and micronutrients a cat needs, so there is no need to introduce your pet to wet food or natural food if he does not want to. It is only important to observe one most important condition: the dry food offered to the cat fully meets its needs as a biological species.
The basis of the food should be meat, and the level of carbohydrates should be minimal. Some people create an extremely poor composition of their food by adding attractants, for example, hydrolysates of animal protein, which do not carry any nutritional value, but give the food a very strong smell of meat, which deceives the animal, causing its appetite. If a cat eats nothing but dry food, then there is indeed cause for concern, and it is better to change the diet, because prolonged feeding on unsuitable food can lead to serious consequences for the predator’s body.
There is nothing wrong with components that enhance the smell if they are natural products, for example, liver or other offal, but, let us repeat, the most important attractant for a cat is still meat. Acana Cat and Orijen Cat diets contain 75-85% animal products, making them the best choice for daily feeding for cats.
In addition to dry food, the cat only needs water
In fact, the only supplement dry food needs is fresh, clean, unlimited drinking water. Some people buy a drinking fountain, some place containers of water around the house, and some even soak dry food in water - and this is normal. Dry diets do not need any other additions - it’s not for nothing that they are called complete and balanced.
More than a dozen specialists work on their compositions, who carry out strict quality control at all stages of production, ensuring that the final product contains all the necessary micro- and macronutrients and meets all the needs of the animal.
The main thing is to choose dry food that will be suitable specifically for your cat (according to its age, breed and other characteristics), and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding the correct dosage of dry food (usually they are indicated on the packaging). After all, overfeeding, like underfeeding, is not conducive to cat health, and the veterinary community around the world is sounding the alarm about the epidemic of obesity in pets.
It is precisely the uncontrolled addition of any other products to dry food that is the most common cause of this serious disease, as well as digestive disorders or more serious problems. In addition, it should be added that cats are by nature very conservative animals.
Even the composition of dry food is much more varied than their diet in their natural habitat. Therefore, as a rule, cats are in no hurry to try new, unknown foods and are distrustful of the tidbits that the owner offers. Some people mistake this cat behavior for being spoiled and too selective, but in fact, cats simply do not need variety in their food.
Does a cat need variety?
Another common reason for an owner's concern if the cat does not eat anything other than dry food is concern about the diversity of the pet's diet. In fact, your cat doesn't get tired of eating the same thing every day. In the wild, its diet is limited to small animals that are found in a particular area. Usually these are not dozens, but 3-5 sources of animal protein entering the animal’s body day after day.
Moreover, dry food cannot be called a monotonous diet, because they consist of many different ingredients, and the biologically appropriate Acana and Orijen diets contain several sources of animal protein, for example, Acana Grasslands - as many as five (turkey, duck, pike, lamb and eggs).
In addition to muscle meat, the composition includes offal and cartilage of animals, because in nature, a predator eats its prey entirely. There are over 40 ingredients in total. Even if the cat eats nothing but this dry food, its diet will be much more varied than most of its relatives on a home-cooked diet consisting of store-bought products.
Common reasons for not eating
- Pain syndrome and stress.
- Oral diseases.
- Inflammatory processes in the intestines or stomach.
- Poisoning.
- Viral infection.
- Liver, kidney and urolithiasis.
- Foreign body in the stomach or intestines.
It is worth taking a closer look at each factor that will help answer the question of what to do if a domestic cat does not want to eat?
Stress or pain syndrome
Stress in an animal can be caused by rearranging things in the house or changing place of residence.
Adult animals have difficulty getting used to a new place, so a lack of appetite is normal. The owner should observe the animal, since the cat may refuse to eat due to the fact that the feeder is in an unusual place for it. Cats are independent and prefer to eat food in a secluded place. An animal may refuse food for a day during estrus, childbirth, or castration. In this case, you should not force your cat to eat; after a while, everything will work out. The main thing is that after a hunger strike the cat does not overeat, otherwise it will lead to more serious problems. If a kitten does not eat for 3 days and only sleeps, perhaps it is adapting to a new environment; a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis.
Pain syndrome is often caused by a chronic disease. If your cat stops eating, you should consult your veterinarian.
Oral diseases
Dental problems are fairly common reasons why a cat won't eat and only drinks water.
Why is this happening? Lack of teeth in animals is the cause of diseases of the digestive tract. This is explained by the fact that the cat experiences discomfort when absorbing this or that food, as a result, it swallows the food without chewing. This problem can be corrected by selecting the right type of feeding.
The formation of tartar provokes chronic inflammation of the gums and tooth loss. It is necessary to remove tartar in a timely manner and regularly care for the animal’s oral cavity.
Caries overcomes our smaller brothers, it is also the source of many problems. Only by identifying the cause can you cope with the consequences.
Inflammatory processes in the intestines and stomach
It happens that owners provide the necessary care for their pet, but it often gets sick. Why is this happening?
The most common reason why a cat won't eat anything is worms. Animals picked up on the street especially suffer from parasites. Anyone can identify a severe helminthic infestation. Worms are visible in the animal's feces and vomit. In this case, you should get rid of parasites under the supervision of a doctor. Self-treatment of a pet can provoke poisoning of the body and deterioration of the animal’s condition.
It also happens that a cat injures the intestines with bone that is not digested by the body. As a result, the structure of the mucous membrane is disrupted, and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract appear. It is impossible to ignore alarming symptoms; this can lead to exhaustion of the cat’s body and even death.
Poisoning
The gag reflex in cats is very well developed, so many pet owners are not too worried about their pet vomiting.
It is believed that vomiting helps a cat get rid of hairballs. If the cat is active after such a procedure, there is no need to worry. You should be concerned when weakness, lethargy, muscle tremors and other “unhealthy” symptoms are attributed to vomiting. Drooling with vomiting indicates poisoning. Severe poisoning in most cases leads to the death of the animal. Missing foods, household chemicals or tablets eaten by a cat can cause severe intoxication. If your cat has eaten poison, you should immediately go to the veterinarian and tell him what kind of substance the animal was poisoned with. This will make it easier for the doctor to choose the right treatment.
Viral infection
Common symptoms of a viral infection are: sneezing and discharge from the nose and eyes, complete lack of appetite, dehydration, fever, a combination of all of the above.
Treating a cat yourself, especially if it is not vaccinated, is quite risky. Whether a cat can cope with an infection depends on its immunity. The animal may refuse food for 3 days or more, in which case it will weaken. Don’t take risks, consult a doctor who can make a diagnosis after taking a blood test from the animal.
Liver, kidney and urolithiasis
If a cat does not eat or drink, he may have urolithiasis, accompanied by the formation of stones, sand in the kidneys and bladder.
It is not difficult to identify this disease. The cat is lethargic, refuses to eat, has a constant urge to urinate, and has blood in the urine. Such symptoms indicate problems with the animal’s bladder. Take preventative measures; proper nutrition for your cat is the best prevention against urolithiasis. According to statistics, cats are three times more likely to develop kidney disease than dogs. Nutrition is directly related to kidney function. Kidney failure leads to disruption of natural processes in the animal's body. The result of advanced disease is vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, and bad breath. Diagnosing this disease is difficult, because the symptoms are characteristic of other diseases. Do not allow the disease to go into a chronic stage, then it will be very difficult to fight it.
Liver diseases are accompanied by the symptoms described above. A cat may not eat for 3 days or even more. To avoid these problems, you should create a competent diet for your beloved pet. Balanced food supplies the animal’s body with all the necessary elements.
Foreign body in the stomach or intestines
An intestinal obstruction in an animal is a good reason to take it to the vet. Ignoring the problem often leads to the death of the pet. Obstruction is caused by sausage skins, Christmas tree needles and rain, bones and even scraps of wool.
During obstruction, gastric juice continues to be released, but it stagnates in the stomach or intestines and is not absorbed by the body. The animal reacts to this by vomiting, during which the body is actively dehydrated. Symptoms of intestinal obstruction are: vomiting, loss of appetite and complete refusal of food, enlarged abdomen, the cat reacts painfully to its touch. Why does the animal not eat for 3 days, only drink water and sleep? What can be done?
- Do not feed the animal, this will cause vomiting.
- Do not do an enema, you risk intestinal damage.
- Do not give your cat laxatives, this will shorten the intestinal muscles.
- Do not use antiemetic drugs; they provide a temporary effect but do not eliminate the problem.
- Be sure to show the animal to the veterinarian.
Summing up
If the cat eats nothing but dry food, the owner has nothing to worry about when he has chosen a quality product with a high meat content for it. The common belief that dry food must be supplemented with something arose due to a misunderstanding of its very concept. Sometimes owners perceive them as fast food for animals: they can be consumed when you are too lazy to cook, but not at every meal.
In fact, a complete dry food is rather the equivalent of a good set lunch. It is ideally balanced in fats, proteins, carbohydrates and other biologically significant elements. In addition, this is not some kind of monoproduct, but a complex dish consisting of many components, mixed and processed in a special way - for convenient consumption and better absorption. Such a diet will not harm the cat, but on the contrary, will be beneficial for its health.
